The present disclosure relates to a method for producing silicon microneedle arrays with holes and to a microneedle array.
Microneedle arrays with through-holes are used in the cosmetic field and the medical field. Numerous processes exist for producing microneedles composed of metal, polymer and silicon. The microneedles composed of silicon are produced by methods of microsystems engineering, inter alia by lithography or mask processes and etching methods or patterning processes. Methods for producing silicon microneedle arrays with through-holes are likewise already known, for example from US 2005 011 858 A1, US 2006 172 541 A1 or CN 1 526 454 A. All the methods mentioned above use the mask processes and patterning processes from semiconductor fabrication to produce the through-holes. The known processes which produce needles with through-holes for filling the needles from the rear side, involve a very high outlay.
Furthermore, JP 2011 072 695 A discloses a method for producing polymer microneedle arrays with through-holes. The microneedle array is produced by means of a heat imprint method. Through-holes are subsequently produced in the needles by means of a femtosecond laser, wherein the laser beam coming from the flat substrate side penetrates through the substrate and subsequently penetrates into the needles.